Ad Mortem - In Honorem Mortis (2024)

Delivering a swift and brutal onslaught of Black Metal sickness, today we have Germany’s Ad Mortem and their debut full-length release “In Honorem Mortis”. Filled with piercing guitars, hellish screams and crafty drumming, this release contains eight tracks and over 43 minutes of intense music. Highly recommended for fans of Horna, Sargeist, Bexehen, etc., this album is one of the most punishing and yet refined releases of 2024.

Things escalate quite quickly with the atmospheric opening of “Von hohen Himmeln”, that swiftly transforms into all-out war with intense riffing and blistering drumming. E. Aggressor’s vocals are your traditional BM harsh creams, perfectly fitting to the tremolo picking ways of the band. As “Größer als das Leben”, “Labyrinth”, and “Der letzte Feind”, roll around, the band also has a certain melodic edge to their sound with some crafty melodic interludes that quickly erupt into more crushing passages.

As we headbang through the whole release, Ad Mortem showcases their ability to easily craft catchy and yet punishing melodies, filled with sinister tempo changes and just the right amount of panache to not sound cheap or too raw. Perfect examples of their mastery of the genre include pieces like “Urgewalt”, “Auf kalten Gräbern” and the closer “Death and Beyond”.

Overall, “In Honorem Mortis” is one hell of a Black Metal release filled with killer songs that feature a great balance between melody and power. Ad Mortem excels in creating very refined music that is both brutal and professionally crafted, making the release even more incisive and sinister. If you are a fan of well crafted Black Metal with a crisp production and a punishing pace, look no further and get a copy of this release.

Label: Purity Through Fire

Release: March 21st, 2024

Genre: Black Metal

Country: Germany